hCG diets are popular weight-loss programs. When strictly followed, they can provide rapid weight loss. However, some individuals question the body composition actually being lost. While most dieters focus on the number displayed on their bathroom scale, it is impossible to know if lost weight is body fat, water, or muscle.
Tracking Rapid Weight Loss With a Body Composition Scale (Bioimpedance Analyzer)
Concerned that the rapid weight loss experienced on an hCG weight loss program comes from lean body mass (LBM) rather than fat, some individuals have purchased a home-style body composition scale to keep track of their losses. However, a misunderstanding regarding bioimpedance analyzers, visceral fat (fat deposits in the liver, abdomen, and other organs; not structural fat), and what lean body mass actually is, can distort conclusions taken from the data.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis attempts to measure body-fat percentage electronically when a dieter steps onto the scale barefoot. Since the primary conductor in the body is water, the theory is that lean body mass (due to its high water content) conducts electricity better than fat tissue does. A body composition scale causes a light electrical current to pass through the body. By measuring the resistance, the scale attempts to determine the amount of body fat and lean body mass found in that individual.
According to the Proscale Moderno Body Fat and Water Scales Instruction Manual, the accuracy of these devices is affected by water fluctuations which can easily result from:
- alcohol
- diet
- lack of sleep
- intense exercise
- medicines
- pre-menstruation
- anything that causes dehydration or water retention
It also warns the dieter that scratched scale pads or dirty feet can interfere with conductivity. With so many factors to take into account, scale accuracy readings can be off (up or down) by as much as 5%.
HCG Weight Loss Programs and Lean Body Mass – LBM is not Just Muscle
Dr. Simeons’ HCG Protocol is higher in carbohydrates than a typical low-carb diet such as the Atkins Diet or phase 1 of the Protein Power Lifeplan. However, average carbohydrate intake is 50 to 60 grams a day, depending on the type of fruits and vegetables chosen, which is low enough to keep the liver depleted of glycogen and water.
Lean body mass is often thought to be just muscle. However, it is everything in the body that is not body fat:
- water
- body organs
- tendons
- muscle
- bone
- blood
- food in intestines
In fact, according to the Longevity Health Center in an article about “Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA),” lean body mass contains approximately 73% water, 6% mineral, 20% protein, and 1% ash. Since a body composition scale calculates the amount of water in the body to make its determination, even slight dehydration levels can show up as lean body mass going down. In this case, the dieter is not losing muscle.
Do HCG Diets Burn Fat or Lean Body Mass (LBM) – Are Fat Loss Diets Possible?
When dieting without exercise, the Longevity Health Center explains that weight loss is divided between burning fat and loss of lean body mass. In fact, on a typical low-calorie diet (without exercise) a dieter can lose as much as .45 pounds of lean body mass per pound of lost weight. That’s almost half of the dieter’s weight loss; high enough for legitimate concern about losing muscle.
However, individuals who have tracked their weight loss on hCG diets are not losing that much. For an average 25 to 30 pound loss, most individuals report losses of seven or eight pounds of lean body mass. That nets the dieter an average fat loss of 17 to 23 pounds for a typical diet round of three to six weeks.
If initial water losses from glycogen depletion are taken into account (average depletion for a typical low-carb diet is eight to 15 pounds) and fluctuating water levels from rapid weight loss itself, hCG diets appear to be safe, protein-sparing, fat-loss diets. For those at serious risk for obesity-related diseases, an hCG weight-loss program can help an individual reach a better level of health by getting their overweight and obesity under control.
HCG Rapid Weight Loss Programs Burn Fat Not Muscle
A body composition scale is not necessarily helpful when following a low- or lower-carb diet. Since bioelectrical impedance analysis works through analyzing the water content of the body for resistance, liver glycogen depletion, water fluctuations from fat loss and other causes can affect the results. Lean body mass is made up of more than just muscle. It consists of everything in the body that is not fat, including all water. Misinformed dieters may think they are losing muscle or gaining fat, when they are not.
Obesity is at epidemic proportions in many areas of the world, and especially in the US. An hCG weight-loss program offers hope for many overweight and obese dieters at risk for serious illness and disease. One of the most popular diets today, when strictly followed, an hCG diet predominantly burns fat over muscle, resulting in rapid fat loss.
To learn how hCG was discovered to help with fat loss, see HCG Diets for Quick Weight Loss: Dr. Simeons' Weight-Loss Diet. For more information on a protein-sparing, modified-fast, the reader will find What is the Quickest Way to Lose Weight to be of interest.
Sources:
Eades, Michael R., MD and Eades, Mary Dan, MD, The Protein Power Lifeplan: A New Comprehensive Blueprint for Optimal Health, Creative Paradox LLC (Warner Books, Inc.), 2000
Fat Loss Chronicles, “HCG Diet Conclusions” (accessed October 12, 2010)
Longevity Health Center, Natural Health Care for the Whole Family, “ Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) ” (accessed October 14, 2010)
Medscape Today, “Fad Diets and Obesity – Part I: Measuring Weight in a Clinical: Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis,” by Mark A. Moyd, MPH (accessed October 14, 2010)
Proscale, “Proscale Moderno Body Fat and Water Scales Instruction Manual,” (accessed October 14, 2010)
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Vickie Ewell - Vickie has worked with autistic individuals for 9 years. She has celiac disease and specializes in gfcf living.
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